WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Progentos Therapeutics, a biotech company addressing the critical unmet need to regenerate myelin and restore function for patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating diseases, today announced that Andrew Miller, Ph.D., has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dr. Miller is a highly accomplished biopharmaceutical executive with expertise in neuroscience research and development and corporate strategy, and was the founder of Karuna Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for psychiatric and neurological conditions. He most recently served as President of Research and Development (R&D) at Karuna until its $14B acquisition earlier this year by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS).
“We are delighted that Andrew will lead our board given his tremendous track record and keen understanding of the challenges and complexities of advancing potentially transformative medicines in neuroscience,” said Dr. Christopher Loose, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Progentos. “His scientific and company building expertise, as well as recent experience bringing a novel therapeutic through registrational studies, makes him an ideal fit as we select a development candidate for our remyelination program and move to the clinic.”
“Progentos is doing remarkable work, and its lead pipeline candidate has the potential to be the first restorative therapy and transform the treatment of MS,” said Dr. Miller. “I look forward to working alongside the experienced management team and board at this pivotal time in the Company’s growth.”
Dr. Miller was the Founder and President of Research and Development at Karuna Therapeutics. He is the lead inventor of Karuna’s KarXT and previously served as chief operating officer and chief executive officer, and as a member of Karuna’s board of directors. Dr. Miller played a lead role in developing KarXT from initial concept to the recent approval of COBENFY™ for the treatment of schizophrenia. During that period, he grew the company from one employee to over 350 and raised ~$2B in private and public investor capital prior to the BMS acquisition in 2024. During his tenure at Karuna, Dr. Miller oversaw clinical development, discovery, nonclinical development, regulatory, quality, manufacturing, and corporate development. He has more than 15 years’ experience in the biotech/biopharma industry previously holding senior and executive level positions at PureTech Health, Tal Medical, and Entrega Inc.
Dr. Miller received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois with highest honors, and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Presidential Fellow. Dr. Miller was named to the PharmaVoice 100 and one of the top 40 innovators under 40 by MedTech Boston.
Progentos’ lead program is a potential first-in-class small molecule designed to induce remyelination of axons affected by MS. In MS, disability is caused by demyelination, damage to the myelin sheaths that support the function and survival of axons. In May, Progentos announced the closing of a $65 million series A round, led by Forbion, which will enable the Company to advance its lead program through human proof of concept studies, as Progentos also works to build a pipeline in degenerative disease.
Other members of the Progentos board of directors are Dmitrij Hristodorov, PhD, a general partner at Forbion; Marc-Oliver Turgeon, PhD, a senior associate at Forbion; Cassidy Blundell, PhD, a partner at Mission Biocapital; Dan Janney, Managing Partner at Alta Partners; and Aleks Radovic-Moreno PhD, a partner at Longwood Fund.
About Progentos Therapeutics
Progentos is developing first-in-class compounds to induce endogenous oligodendrocyte progenitor cells to remyelinate axons in patients suffering from MS and other demyelinating diseases. Combining expertise in chemistry, biology and in vivo models, Progentos discovers and develops novel small-molecule drugs to regenerate tissues in patients with degenerative diseases. The Company has operations in Watertown, MA, USA and Naarden, The Netherlands. More information can be found at www.progentos.com